Rotary internal combustion engine



March 16, 1965 A. J. cAMPos 3,173,406

ROTARY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed Nov. 24, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet lINVENTOR. 4004. J. (Aw/ as March 15, 1965 A. J. CAMPOS 3,173,406 ROTARYINTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed Nov. 24, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR. 4 500 J (An/1P0:

United States Patent 3,173,406 ROTARY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE AdolphJ. Campos, 86 Bruen St., Newark, NJ. Filed Nov. 24, 1961, Ser. No.154,630 4 Claims. (Cl. 12316) This invention relates to improvements ininternal combustion engines, and more particularly to an improvedinternal combustion engine which uses a three-sided rotor and whichdevelops three power impulses per revolution, all in the same direction.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved rotaryinternal combustion engine which is relatively simple in construction,which is compact in size, which is relatively light in Weight and whichdevelops a relatively high power output with minimum consumption offuel.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improvide rotaryinternal combustion engine of the type employing a three-sided rotor,the engine being relatively inexpensive to manufacture, being durable inconstruction, involving only a few parts, and developing a substantialamount of mechanical output.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved rotaryinternal combustion engine which is relatively inexpensive tomanufacture, which requires a relatively small amount of maintenance,which is reliable in operation, and which is highly economical in fuelconsumption.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved rotaryinternal combustion engine of the type employing a three-sided rotor,the engine developing three power impulses per revolution, all in thesame direction, said engine being smooth in operation, developing aminimum amount of vibration, and employing relatively inexpensivematerials.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparentfrom the following description and claims, and from the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an improved rotary internal combustionengine constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged vertical cross sectional view takensubstantially on the line 22 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a vertical cross sectional view, similar to FIGURE 2, butshowing the rotor in a position wherein fuel is being admitted into thecompression chamber of the engine, the rotor being in a positionadvanced relative to the position thereof shown in FIGURE 2. v

FIGURE 4 is a vertical cross sectional view taken on the line 44 ofFIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of the elements comprising the engine ofFIGURES 1 to 4, said elements being shown in separated positions.

FIGURE 6 is a diagrammatic sketch illustrating the mode of operation ofthe internal combustion engine of the present invention.

Referring to thedrawings, 11 generally designates an improved rotarycombustion engine constructed in accordance with the present invention.The engine 11 comprises a main housing consisting of a generally annularmain body 12 and a pair of opposite side plates 13 and .14 of similarshape secured to the opposite sides of the main body 12, as by means oflongitudinally extending fastening bolts 15. The main body 12 is formedwith a plurality of circularly arranged cooling slots 16, and the plates13 and 14 are provided with similar slots 17 registering with thecooling slots 16, whereby to provide continuous channels for thecirculation of cooling air through the peripheral portions of theengine- The engine is substantially flattened at its top portion, asshown at 17, and the flattened top portion 17 of the main body 12 of theengine is formed with a downwardly convergent fuel intake port 18 towhich may be connected a suitable fuel supply conduit, not shown, whichmay be connected to a suitable source of a combustible gas mixture. Asshown in FIGURE 2, the downwardly convergent fuel intake port 18 islocated at one side of the top wall of the engine. The engine is formedat its bottom wall with an exhaust port 19 which is located at the sameside thereof as the fuel intake port 18, being spaced therefrom by anangle of approximately 120 of rotation, as shown in FIGURE 2.

Mounted in the wall of the main body 17 of the engine and angularlyspaced from the fuel intake port 18 by an angle of approximately in aclockwise direction, as viewed in FIGURE 2, is a spark plug 20 whoseelectrodes terminate in an axial bore 21 communicating with the interiorof the engine, as shown in FIGURE 2, for igniting fuel mixture in theupper portion of the engine cavity subsequent to compression thereof, aswill be presently explained. The spark plug 20 is energized from. asuitable ignition system which is suitably synchronized so as to delivera spark in the ignition space 21 near the end of the compression portionof the cycle of rotation of the engine rotor, as will be presentlyexplained. The details of the distributor and associate ignition systemfor ener gizing the spark plug 20 are conventional in themselves andform no part of the present invention.

Axially journaled in the engine is a shaft 21' which is rotatablysupported onsuitable sleeve bearings 22 mounted in annular end bushings23 secured to the central portions of the side plates 13 and 14, asshown in FIGURE 4. The intermediate portion of the shaft 21' isintegrally formed with, or has rigidly secured thereon, a generallytriangular, enlarged body 24, which has a cross section in the shape ofan equilateral triangle, and which is centered so that its axiscoincides with the axis of the shaft 21'. The body 24 is formed withmarginal ribs or flanges 25 at its opposite peripheral sides, said ribsor flanges 25 being received within correspondingly shaped triangularopenings 26 formed in spacer discs 27. The spacer discs 27 areinterposed between respective opposing Wear plates 28 and a rotor body29, presently to be described. The wear plates 28 are received incircular recesses 30 formed in the inside walls of the respective sideplates 13 and 14. The rotor 29 is generally three-sided in shape and isformed with the three identically curved peripheral surfaces 31 whichhave trailing ends 32 of maximum radius and which diminish gradually inradius toward their leading ends. The radius reaches a minimum at apoint 33 adjacent the leading end of the side, after which the radiusincreases rapidly in value, defining an arcuately curved thrust shoulder34 at the leading end of the Side 31 of the rotor.

The rotor 29 is formed at the junction between the leading and'trailingends of its respective sides 31 with radially extending longitudinalslots 35 in which are slidably positioned respective longitudinallyextending sealing bars 36 which are biased outwardly into sealingcontact with the inside wall of the cavity of body 17 by bowed leafsprings 37 disposed in the bottoms of 'the grooves or slots 35. Thecircular plate members 27, 27 are secured in circular recesses 39 formedin the opposite sides of the rotor 29 concentrically withits axis, theplate members 27 being secured by rivets 40 extending through said platemembers and the rotor 29, as shown in FIGURE 4.

The rotor 29 is formed centrally with a triangular aperture 41 Which isin the shape of an equilateral triangle and which is substantiallylarger in size than the triangular body 24 received therein, but is ofsuch size as to prevent complete rotation of .body 24 therein. As shownin FIGURE 3 a substantial amount of clearance is provided betweenthe'faces' of the body 24 andthe inside faces of the aperture 41. Bowedleaf springs 43 are provided in the clearance spaces, thus resilientlyconnecting the rotor 29 to the shaft body 24, so that a yieldablecushioned coupling exists between the shaft and the rotor, the couplingbeing however of a positive nature, since the rotor cannot rotaterelative to the shaft body 24, except to a limited degree, as permittedby the flexure of the leaf springs 43, The rotor is also allowed to movesomewhat horizontally and vertically relative to the shaft body 24, aspermitted by the yielding action of the leaf springs 43.

The lower portion 45 of the cavity defined in the generally annular mainbody 12 of the engine is of substantially constant radius 45', as shownin FIGURE 6. The upper portion 46 of the cavity is at a radial distance46 from the center 47 of said lower portion 45 greater than the radius45" of said lower portion, and the arcuate side portions of the cavityconverge smoothly toward said upper portion, as is clearly shown inFIGURES 2, 3 and 6. Thus, the cavity is shaped so as to be somewhatvertically elongated, with a generally semi-cylindrical lower portionand an upper portion having upwardly convergent sides. Since there issome play between the triangular shaft portion 24 and the inside facesof aperture 41, the rotor can assume a position, such as that shown inFIG- URES 3 and 6, wherein the center of the rotor is below the centerof said triangular shaft portion (the center of said triangular shaftportion being substantially at the intersection 48' of the major andminor axes of the generally oval cavity) and such that the distance fromthe center of the shaft to the upper right-hand seal 36 in FIG- URES 3and 6 is slightly less than the distance to the lower seal 36, thedifferential in distance providing a differential surface on whichcombustion pressure in the space immediately below said upper right-handseal can act to produce rotation of the rotor. Because of the upwardconvergency of the sides of the upper portion of the cavity, as abovenoted, and as is clearly shown in FIG- URES 3 and 6, the upper seals 36act as follower mem bers cooperating with said convergent sides todepress the rotor to the position of FIGURES 3 and 6.

In operation, combustible fuel mixture is admitted into the upper space46 of the engine, assuming the port 18 to be in communication with saidupper space, namely, the rotor to be in a position such as thatillustrated in FIG- URE 3. With the rotor rotating in a clockwisedirection, as viewed in FIGURE 3, the upper left sealing bar 36eventually passes upwardly beyond the sealed intake port 18, namely,passes the position thereof illustrated in FIG- URE 2, after which thegaseous fuel mixture admitted into the space 46 undergoes compression asthe volume thereof is reduced, namely, as the rotor rotates clockwisebeyond the position thereof illustrated in FIGURE 2. When the rotorreaches the position shown in FIGURE 3, the fuel is in the lower rightspace and is under maximum compression, at which point ignition takesplace, and the fuel is ignited by the spark plug 20. The expansion ofthe ignited fuel develops a power stroke on the aforesaid differentialsurface. As above mentioned, the rotor is urged to the depressedposition of FIGURES 3 and 6 by the cooperation of the upper seals 36with the upwardly convergent sides of the cavity. Therefore, the rotorwill receive a power impulse tending to rotate said rotor clockwise witheach ignition of the compressed fuel by the spark plug 20. Said powerimpulse will be furnished by the expanding gaseous products ofcombustion acting against the aforesaid differential surface.

Subsequent to the delivery of said power impulse to the rotor, thegaseous products of combustion are placed in communication with theexhaust port 19, through which they discharge to the atmosphere. Thus,in the position of the rotor shown in FIGURE 2, the gaseous products ofcombustion in the lower space of the engine cavity are placed incommunication with the discharge port 19, and are allowed to escape,after delivery of the thrust im pulse to the rotor. The above describedcycle is repeated three times for every revolution of the rotor, so thatthree power impulses are developed for each revolution thereof.

Following impulses applied to the rotor are transmitted to the shaft 21through the resilient coupling defined between the triangular shaftportion 24 and the triangular aperture 41 in the rotor, by means of theleaf springs 43, which permit relative movements between rotor 29 andthe portion 24 in the manner above described.

It will be noted that the peripheral ribs 25, 25 on the enlargedintermediate portion of the shaft 21' serve as positioning means toretain the leaf springs 43 in centered positions relative to the member24, the curved portion of each leaf spring 43 being received between theribs 25, 25 of the adjacent side of member 24, as illustrated in FIGURE3, or alternatively, being reversed so as to be disposed adjacent to theassociated side of the rotor aperture 41, as illustrated, for example inFIGURE 5. In either case, a cushioned resilient coupling will be definedbetween the rotor and the shaft, providing smooth transmission of torquefrom the rotor to the shaft over a wide range of loading of the engine.

It will be noted that the respective sides of the triangular aperture 41in the rotor 29 are substantially parallel to the sides of the rotor,namely, to the surfaces defined between respective pairs of contact bars36, 36. Thus, when the gas mixture is ignited in the space 45, theresultant explosion develops a force which may be resolved in adirection perpendicular to the adjacent straight side of aperture 41 ofthe rotor, causing the rotor to be urged inwardly toward thecorresponding straight side of the triangular member 24, thus tending toflatten the intervening arcuate leaf spring 43. The leaf spring thusdirectly cushions the explosion and prevents direct impact between rotor29 and shaft portion 24. Further cushioning is provided by theresiliency of the biasing springs 37 acting outwardly on the sealingbars 36, and it will be noted that because of the parallel location ofthe sides of aperture 41 with respect to the sides of the rotor, thecushioning effects provided by the springs 37 are symmetrically arrangedrelative to the cushioning effects provided by the leaf springs 43.

While a specific embodiment of an improved rotary combustion engine hasbeen disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood thatvarious modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur tothose skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that no limitationsbe placed on the invention except as defined by the scope of theappended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A rotary combustion engine comprising a main housing formed with agenerally oval vertically elongated rotor cavity comprising asubstantially semi-cylindrical lower portion, an arcuate top portion ata radial distance from the center of said lower portion greater than theradius of said lower portion, and arcuate upwardly convergent sideportions smoothly connecting said arcuate top portion and substantiallysemi-cylindrical lower portion, said cavity having a fuel intake portcommunicating with the cavity at one side of said top portion, fuelignition means in the cavity adjacent the opposite side of said topportion, said cavity being provided with a peripheral exhaust port insaid lower portion at the same side of the cavity as said intake port, ashaft journaled in the housing with its axis displaced from said centertoward said arcuate top portion and having a polygonally shapedintermediate portion, a rotor having a periphery comprising threesuccessive sides of similar shape, said rotor having a central polygonalaperture loosely receiving said intermediate portion of the shaft, saidintermediate shaft portion being sufiiciently large in size so that itcannot rotate in said polygonal aperture, means resiliently supportingsaid rotor on said intermediate shaft portion, and respective sealingmembers on the periphery of said rotor between its successive sidessealingly engaging the peripheral surface of said rotor cavity andcooperating with said convergent side portions to cause the rotor to attimes assume a depressed position providing a difierential of radialdistance between the center of the shaft and the portions of saidperipheral surface at opposite sides of the ignition means engaged bytwo successive sealing members, whereby to define a diiferential thrustsurface on the rotor.

2. The structure of claim 1, and wherein each side of the rotor has anoutwardly concave portion defining a thrust shoulder.

3. The structure of claim 1, and wherein said resilient supporting meanscomprises leaf springs between the sides of said aperture and saidintermediate shaft portion.

4. The structure of claim 1, and wherein said poly onal aperture andshaft intermediate portion are shaped in the form of equilateraltriangles.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2/06 Okun 123-164/27 Chilton.

10/28 Powell a- 123-16 8/33 Hapkins 123-16 10/62 Hoadley 123-8 FOREIGNPATENTS 7/56 Austria. 10/ 10 France. 12/24 Germany.

6/ 35 Great Britain 15 JOSEPH H. BRANSON, JR., Primary Examiner.

KARL I. ALBRECHT, Examiner.

1. A ROTARY COMBINATION ENGINE COMPRISING A MAIN HOUSING FORMED WITH A GENERALLY OVAL VERTICALLY ELONGATED ROTOR CAVITY COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLY SEMIC-CYLINDRICAL LOWER PORTION, AN ARCUATE TOP PORTION AT A RADIAL DISTANCE FROM THE CENTER OF SAID LOWER PORTION GREATER THAN THE RADIUS OF SAID LOWER PORTION, AND ARCUATE UPWARDLY CONVERGENT SIDE PORTIONS SMOOTHLY CONNECTING SAID ARCUATE TOP PORTION AND SUBSTANTIALLY SEMI-CYLINDRICAL LOWER PORTION, SAID CAVITY HAVING A FUEL INTAKE PORT COMMUNICATING WITH THE CAVITY AT ONE SIDE OF SAID TOP PORTION, FUEL IGNITION MEANS IN THE CAVITY ADJACENT THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF SAID TOP PORTION, SAID CAVITY BEING PROVIDED WITH A PERIPHERAL EXHAUST PORT IN SAID LOWER PORTION AT THE SAME SIDE OF THE CAVITY AS SAID INTAKE PORT, A SHAFT JOURNALED IN THE HOUSING WITH ITS AXIS DISPLACED FROM SAID CENTER TOWARD SAID ARCUATE TOP PORTION AND HAVING A POLYGONALLY SHAPED INTERMEDIATE PORTION, A ROTOR HAVING A PERIPHERY COMPRISING THREE SUCCESSIVE SIDES OF SIMILAR SHAPE, SAID ROTOR HAVING A CENTRAL POLYGONAL APERTURE LOOSELY RECEIVING SAID INTERMEDIATE PORTION OF THE SHAFT, SAID INTERMEDIATE SHAFT PORTION BEING SUFFICIENTLY LARGE IN SIZE SO THAT IT CANNOT ROTATE IN SAID POLYGONAL APERTURE, MEANS RESILIENTLY SUPPORTING SAID ROTOR ON SAID INTERMEDIATE SHAFT PORTION, AND RESPECTVE SEALING MEMBERKS ON THE PERIPHERY OF SAID ROTOR BETWEEN ITS SUCCESSIVE SIDES SEALINGLY ENGAGING THE PERIPHERAL SURFACE OF SAID ROTOR CAVITY AND COOPERATING WIHT SAID CONVERENT SIDE PORTIONS TO CAUSE THE ROTOR TO AT TIMES ASSURE A DEPRESSED POSITION PROVIDING A DIFFERENTIAL OF RADIAL DISTANCE BETWEEN THE CENTER OF THE SHAFT AND THE PORTIONS OF SAID PERIPHERAL SURFACE AT OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE IGNITION MEANS ENGAGED BY TWO SUCCESSIVE SEALING MEMBERS, WHEREBY TO DEFINE A DIFFERENTIAL THRUST SURFACE ON THE ROTOR. 